


Deal

by Thistlerose



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-13
Updated: 2011-01-13
Packaged: 2017-10-14 17:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/151803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thistlerose/pseuds/Thistlerose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nikki Wood watches over her city.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Medie's Because We're Awesome drabble-thon back in 2008.

Crouched atop a low stone wall in Fort Tryon Park, Nikki Wood watches over her city. To the south, Manhattan glitters. To the east, the George Washington Bridge is all lit up, and looks like some fancy ass piece of jewelry, or something you'd dangle from the boughs of a Christmas tree.

It's still summer, but there's a nip in the air, a hint of September, and Nikki huddles in her leather coat. A breeze moves through the leaves, brushes the back of her neck, makes her shiver.

Presently, she hears footsteps, muffled voices in the street far below. As she watches, two gangly figures – stupid kids – walk into the pool of streetlamp light, then walk out and disappear. They've gone into the tunnel. Great.

Nikki gets up. She waits just a moment longer – for the third figure, the one who avoids the lamplight. Then she springs.

Like most fights these days, this one is short. The vampire gets in one good punch and half of what would probably have been a very corny line. Then Nikki's brushing dust off her coat.

The kids don't stick around to thank her.

That's all right. It's been a long time since Nikki's cared about thanks.

*

Nikki gives the park one last cursory sweep, then takes the A train back to Harlem. At her apartment, she finds Robin sleeping soundly in his basinet, and Crowley seated at the kitchen table, drinking tea from a chipped mug and reading a newspaper.

He looks up when she enters.

"Two vampires," Nikki reports. "Thanks for baby-sitting."

"You didn't learn anything more about this Spike, did you?"

"Didn't ask. 'Spike's coming for you, Slayer.' That's still all I know. Unless you've found something in one of your books."

"Not yet, unfortunately. You're not at all apprehensive?"

"Let him come," says Nikki – softly – with a shrug. Her gaze travels from her Watcher's look of weary anxiety to her sleeping son. She aches a little, and wishes she could just lie down on the floor and curl around him. "Whoever he is, whatever he is, I'll do what I always do: deal."

4/28/2008


End file.
